Why have Turn-Based RPG's faded away?

Before we get to the question, let me define 'turn-based RPG'. In its simplest form a turn-based RPG is a game in which the combat happens in a series of rounds and actions. This does not mean that a separate battle screen must be launched to do so. KoToR is a Turn-Based RPG just as much as Final Fantasy by this term since their actions both happen in set 'blocks' of turns (just hidden behind the scenes in KoToR).

Anyways, we've seen a lot of the Turn Based RPG fading away recently. Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of good titles out there (XCOM, Child of Night, technically I suppose Dragon Age might count. Been too long), but it's obvious that there has been a massive decline since the PS2 era and it's only been going downhill since then, especially in the JRPG department. This isn't about if you like/dislike the genre so much as asking 'why?' Why has it slipped? Is it the rise of casual gaming bringing in a bunch of people with little time attracting developers to make games that happen in short sessions? Is it the rise of the brodude shooters making most developers ape CoD? Is it a stigma against Japanese games that makes people outright refuse all under the assumption that they are Japanese? Why?---The enemy of knowledge is ignorance, not religion.

#2SinisterSlayPosted 7/9/2014 7:16:48 AM

They don't make for good gameplay trailers. And they don't attract the call of duty crowd.

There is however a lot of indie games that are turn based, you just have to look.---He who stumbles around in darkness with a stick is blind. But he who... sticks out in darkness... is... fluorescent! - Brother Silence

#3AnimorganimatePosted 7/9/2014 7:17:34 AM

Divinity: Original Sin.

/end topic---. . . methodical, exacting, and worst of all, patient.

#4SythisTaruPosted 7/9/2014 7:17:52 AM

Seems like more turn-based RPG's are released than real-time/immersive ones these days, I don't like it actually.

#5DarkZV2BetaPosted 7/9/2014 7:19:06 AM

Turn based RPGs were actually largely prominent due to technical and physical limitations of the target platforms, as well as problems of design and the available tools.As these limitations faded away, so did the need for turn based games.

Especially in the case of JRPGs, since combat often boiled down to "buff, debuff, attack until dead, heal when necessary", there was very little reason to stick to the turn based design, which essentially just wasted time.---god invented extension cords. -elchris79Starcraft 2 has no depth or challenge -GoreGross

#6SinisterSlayPosted 7/9/2014 7:25:18 AM

DarkZV2Beta posted...

Turn based RPGs were actually largely prominent due to technical and physical limitations of the target platforms, as well as problems of design and the available tools.

Not really.... it was a design decision but it wasn't because of limitations. You can find plenty of action RPG's in every console generation.---He who stumbles around in darkness with a stick is blind. But he who... sticks out in darkness... is... fluorescent! - Brother Silence

#7Hi CPosted 7/9/2014 7:25:51 AM

Pursuit of the lowest common denominator.

Why did turn based strategy all but disappear in the late 90's? Publishers wanted to go after the non strategy action crowd so they pushed RTS.

Why did classic DND tactical and dungeon crawler based RPG's disappear in the late 90's? Publishers wanted to go after the action crowd so they pushed action and RTS style (Badurs Gate) rpgs.

The people they were targeting were not fans of rpgs or strategy games they were just a bigger pool of potential buyers so they were sold mechanics.

#8Hi CPosted 7/9/2014 7:29:19 AM

SythisTaru posted...

Seems like more turn-based RPG's are released than real-time/immersive ones these days, I don't like it actually.

I always found Fallout 1 and 2 far more immersing than FO3.

#9DarkZV2BetaPosted 7/9/2014 7:29:32 AM

SinisterSlay posted...

DarkZV2Beta posted...

Turn based RPGs were actually largely prominent due to technical and physical limitations of the target platforms, as well as problems of design and the available tools.

Not really.... it was a design decision but it wasn't because of limitations. You can find plenty of action RPG's in every console generation.

You can't find any action RPGs in early generations that have much depth to their equipment, stats, AI patterns, and in terms of combat, early action RPGs were often clunky and buggy.Technical limitations definitely have a lot to do with it. It wasn't until SNES that ARPGs could really be compared as presenting a similar RPG experience to turn based games. Prior to that, I think Ys was probably the most robust blend.---god invented extension cords. -elchris79Starcraft 2 has no depth or challenge -GoreGross

#10GynthaeresPosted 7/9/2014 8:03:56 AM

Hi C posted...

Pursuit of the lowest common denominator.

Why did turn based strategy all but disappear in the late 90's? Publishers wanted to go after the non strategy action crowd so they pushed RTS.

Why did classic DND tactical and dungeon crawler based RPG's disappear in the late 90's? Publishers wanted to go after the action crowd so they pushed action and RTS style (Badurs Gate) rpgs.

The people they were targeting were not fans of rpgs or strategy games they were just a bigger pool of potential buyers so they were sold mechanics.

Mostly this. Big publishers are afraid of taking risks, so they want their games to hit as many people as possible. The idea of a "target demographic" has largely grown foreign; these days the "target demographic" is "everyone".

And action-RPGs / real-time RPGs have a much more broad appeal than turn-based RPGs.---The sole purpose of this space is to make my post look longer.